Thursday, 5 November 2009

I looked it up. The encyclopaedia section of Dictionary.com puts it this way: An online journal where an individual, group, or corporation presents a record of activities, thoughts, or beliefs. Some blogs operate mainly as news filters, collecting various online sources and adding short comments and Internet links. Other blogs concentrate on presenting original material. In addition, many blogs provide a forum to allow visitors to leave comments and interact with the publisher. "To blog" is the act of composing material for a blog. Materials are largely written, but pictures, audio, and videos are important elements of many blogs. The "blogosphere" is the online universe of blogs.

Well, I'm not a group or a corporation but I suppose that it's possible, over time, I could engage in any or all of the above. The opportunities seem endless; it's quite exciting. I wonder where this will lead.

I had been wondering how to begin my blog; where to enter the blogosphere. Suddenly, the decision was taken out of my hands.

This had to be it:

We have a colony of buzzards in the woods above our cottage. We are usually aware of them as they circle in the thermals way, way above us as we work in the garden, as they hover, almost stationary in the valley, in search of prey or, if we can't see them, by their plaintive mew. As I pondered, Maureen, my wife, called from downstairs drawing attention to a buzzard that had alighted on a tree just a few yards from my window. It appeared to be about 45 cm (18 inches) from beak to talons and was my closest encounter with such a beautiful wild bird. It made my day.

On the Move

Why, "Up a Ladder with a Pickaxe."?

Since 2004 my wife and I have been making a garden from three-quarters of an acre of what was rough Welsh hillside. Much of the area we wanted to develop is rocky shale that slopes very steeply. Some terracing had been carried out, by previous owners, but no planting had been done and the whole was covered with stinging nettles, brambles and gorse.

Our early planting was managed by placing a ladder against the bank, digging a hole with a pickaxe and planting into a pocket of compost. In effect, Gardening up a Ladder with a Pickaxe.

December 2005

About Me

Born 1935.
Married to Maureen since 1962.
Now retired, with an aim to learn something new every day.
Skeptic and critical thinker. I delight in humour. The universe and the inhabitants of planet Earth inspire my awe. That's enough for me.